Derail Valley News

[p]Hi everyone!

Over the past several weeks, we've released 8 hotfixes that resolved the last remaining major bugs and more than doubled FPS in certain situations. With today's hefty hotfix just out, we're wrapping up and giving them all a collective title, - B99.5. For more detailed information on what's new, please see:

B99.5 Changelog[/p][p]
We'll release one final small hotfix next week, to ensure a smooth experience, and with that we're ending the B99 development. Currently, we don't foresee more updates in the near future. If, however, any notable issues arise beyond the domain of ultra-rare anomalies, we will address them ASAP.[/p][p][/p][h2]Ultra rare -25% off for a limited period![/h2][p][/p][p]Today's release marks a significant milestone, so to celebrate it we've timed it with a Daily Deal special offer from Steam, followed by a -25% discount for the next two weeks! This is our first, special occasion discount, so make the best use of it, - as we do not plan on doing more sales in the foreseeable future.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Next up: B100[/h2][p][/p][p]We are now fully shifting our focus to the next update, B100. While we're not ready to announce it yet, B100 will be a major update, diving deep into our "Foundation Part 4" phase plans, as outlined in our roadmap. It is a massive challenge overall, both technically and in terms of design.

In B100 we'll develop a more engaging gameplay loop, carry out necessary technical groundworks for the DLC content, add the remaining industries, cargo types and cars, make some overdue technical upgrades intended to make the game more future proof, and more - to be announced!

Why do all these things in a single update? In short, because they can be done in parallel while the longest one, the technical upgrades, is being carried out, - as illustrated below. In the coming weeks we'll update the roadmap too, with a more up-to-date ETA of the plans ahead.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]The return of the long and quiet development cycle[/h2][h3]
Long[/h3][p]B100 is no joke, - it will take a long time to complete, likely up to the end of 2026, or even later.

We've had long pauses before with other major updates, - Overhauled, Simulator and B99. They all couldn't have been split into multiple parts, and took a very long time to do, - however, each ended up highly successful and a literal game-changer. We are confident that this time will be no different.
[/p][h3]Quiet[/h3][p]Sharing the progress of B100 is going to be tricky. Over the years we've found that external pressure only affects the product quality negatively, and the less we say, the less there is premature hype, impatience and overblown expectations getting in the way.

We only better understand what something should be when it's already well into development, so it might be a long time before we are ready to reveal any concrete new information. We truly want this next release to be perfect, and the community patience along the way would be highly appreciated.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]With B99.4 we were pressured to release it quickly, and as a result, the quality initially suffered - requiring extra months and stress post-launch to bring it up to our standards. Sometimes doing those finishing touches behind closed doors is in everyone's interest, and with B100, - we're sure of it!

Thank you for your continual support! We will now proceed to reinforce Derail Valley as the best train simulator game in the world, and in the meantime, we wish you a wonderful rest of the year![/p][p]
-Slobodan[/p]

Hello everyone!

We've just released a new update, bringing some new content, features and numerous other improvements to the game. Here are some of the highlights:

[h2]Item Containers[/h2]



We've added item containers, which let you better store, organize and carry your items. Item containers provide extra inventory space, each with their own pros and cons when it comes to capacity and cumbersomeness.

[h2]Proximity Sensor/Reader & Defect Detector[/h2]



Proximity Sensor and Reader gadgets make shunting long trains easier. Attach sensors to couplers at the ends of your train, put a reader in your cab, and know how far you are from trains in your way, both ways. Note however, that the sensor may pick up trains in adjacent tracks too, depending on the set range. Defect Detector will let you know if any car on your train is derailed, or has its brakes overheated.

[h2]Universal Control Stand[/h2]



Universal Control Stand makes it easier to operate MU-capable locomotives from alternative positions, such as the back-facing ends of cabs. Make sure to keep the device indoors though, as it won’t work in the rain. Alongside it we introduce the Mount Stand, a tall mount that lets you install gadgets directly on the floor.

[h2]More Headlight and Taillight Options[/h2]



The new types of headlight and taillight gadgets allow you to give your locomotives a completely new look, other than improved visibility.

[h2]More Gadgets[/h2]



This update also adds custom-text Nameplates, Shovel Mounts and Brake Checklists. The refreshed versions of Battery Charger and Signal Remote Booster have been turned into gadgets, too, no longer being the default parts of the caboose.

[h2]Label Maker[/h2]



We've added the highly-requested Label Maker, now letting you put custom text labels under your controllers, or just about anywhere. Pro tip - You can also label item containers, making their name show in the inventory interface when hovered over.

[h2]Work Train Paint Jobs[/h2]



Work trains, including the Microshunter, Utility Rail Vehicle, Caboose and Slug, can now all be painted to both DVRT and Demonstrator themes. The Utility Short Flatcar can be painted too, but only to DVRT.

[h2]Input System Revamp & Joystick/Controller Support[/h2]



Derail Valley now features a robust in-game control binding interface, accessible at Settings/Controls/Control Bindings. Besides the keyboard and mouse remapping, you can now also map all kinds of joysticks and controllers. A calibration tool is included, too!

[h2]RailDriver® Support[/h2]



Players with the RailDriver® Desktop Train Cab Controller can now use it in Derail Valley. The game comes with premade bindings for this controller, making it functional out of the box after you enable it in the control bindings page. You can find the legend slip print template here. The controller does work in combination with VR too, to the extent of train operation.

[h2]Stability & Performance Improvements[/h2]

This build is packed with optimizations and bug fixes. It should help resolve many crashes and low memory warnings introduced in B99, and generally improve performance and platform-specific experience.

[h2]Wiki[/h2]



We’ve entirely revamped the game manual, now with improved texts, more pages, contextual links, and a better viewer in-game. It is additionally now accessible as a wiki online, at https://wiki.derailvalley.com/. It is currently being translated by our valued closed beta members, and it may take some time for the translations to be included in the game. If you'd like to help translate, please check back here in a month or two: https://www.altfuture.gg/jobs/other


[h2]And Much More[/h2]

For more information about these additions, and many more that weren't highlighted in this post, please see the full changelog here: https://www.derailvalley.com/changelog




Besides the work on B99.4, we’ve also expanded our team by two new team members recently. With the build out of the way, we are soon going to focus on filling the third position, too.

[h2]What’s Next?[/h2]

We’re already hard at work on our next major update, B100. We’ve been working on it in parallel with the regular updates, for quite some time. We don’t know when it will be ready for announcing yet, but the aim is by the end of this year. We’ll have you informed as soon as we have solid information.

Until then, we’ll be on a lookout for any critical issues in B99.4 and patch accordingly if needed. We hope you guys will enjoy this update!

-Your DV Team

We're excited to announce that, starting today, our team is expanding with three new positions!



We're hiring in order to further improve our interaction with the community, and reduce developer workload with these new positions:

• Community XP Coordinator – Helping the community and processing feedback
  
• Marketing Video Editor – Shipping informative and fun short videos on our social media
  
• Business Operator – Taking care of the (mostly Serbian) administrative duties
  

[h3]
To see more info & apply – click here[/h3]

If you see yourself as a good candidate please apply, otherwise – spread the word!



While outlining the new positions we've also remade our company site, now with a cleaner look and a bit more information. You can check it out at https://www.altfuture.gg/.

[h3]Derail Valley progress[/h3]

In the meantime, the next update "B99.4" is heavily in the works and slated to come out sometime in March, most probably. It's going to be a pretty decent update, adding new content and performance improvements. B100, also in the works, will be announced a few months later.

Thanks for your time!

-Altfuture

Hello everyone,

We just released a small patch to fix a critical saving bug introduced a few days ago.

For players who had items placed in hangers or sticky tapes mounted somewhere outside of trains, the game wasn't able to save progress. The number of affected users should be small, but the issue still warranted the hotfix.



The patch also includes a couple more bug fixes we made in the past two days. You can see the changelog here: https://www.derailvalley.com/changelog


Thanks,
-Your DV Team

Hi everyone!

We have another small update today. It's bug fixes mainly, but also a little bit of fun stuff. We added a new cargo type, Forestry Trailers – which go from the machine factory and harbor to forests and the sawmill. The update also adds a new model for the S282 restoration train parts.



You can see more about what's new here: http://derailvalley.com/changelog


We're now working on the next patch, which, unless an urgent fix gets in the way, will take a bit longer to do but also be a bit bigger. Thanks for reading and see you soon!

-Your DV Team